SEOUL, South Korea’s presidential office said Sunday it is weighing the possibility that North Korea’s latest purported test of an underwater nuclear weapons system is an “exaggerated and fabricated” claim.

North Korea said Friday it has conducted an important test of an underwater nuclear attack drone, named the Haeil-5-23, in the East Sea in response to the latest joint naval drills involving South Korea, the United States and Japan.

“Taking into account comprehensive analysis so far, we are weighing the possibility that North Korea’s claim is exaggerated and fabricated,” the presidential office said in a press release.

“If tested, it is presumed to be a kind of torpedo, but there is a very slim possibility that it is a nuclear-powered system. There is no case of the development of a small reactor that can be fitted in a torpedo with a diameter of less than 1 meter,” it said.

The office of President Yoon Suk Yeol said there is a limitation in verifying the authenticity of the North’s claim as Pyongyang
has not released related photos.

It added the South Korean military has been monitoring signs of the North developing underwater weapons systems, including nuclear attack drones and submarine-launched ballistic missiles, by using intelligence and surveillance assets with the U.S.

“Our military already possesses overwhelming striking capabilities against the launch sites of such weapons systems in case of a contingency. We will further strengthen our anti-submarine capabilities and defense postures over ports,” it noted.

In regard to North Korea’s firing of a solid-fuel hypersonic missile on Jan. 14, Yoon’s office said South Korea will accelerate its push to build a multilayer missile defense system against the North’s evolving threats.

Source: Yonhap News Agency